INSAFE Annual Report 2008 Over the past four years, the Insafe network has earned itself a leading role in internet safety actions across Europe and worldwide renown as the coordinator of Safer Internet Day.

The annual report describes the current role and structure of Insafe within the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme and outlines the activities conducted and the results achieved by the network over the past 12 months.

As a European-wide network of 26 national awareness-raising centres that promote safe and responsible use of online technology, particularly amongst children and young people, the Insafe network has been closely following the major evolutions in the online world.

The developing interactivity of webdelivered content, commonly known as web 2.0, is having profound implications for internet safety among the technology’s most avid users. Social networking sites, video sharing and instant messaging have opened up new opportunities but also new risks for children and young people.

Technological convergence, such as between the internet and mobile phones, also has important implications for e-safety. Mobile online access away from the home or school creates new patterns of communication and trust among children and young people.

Insafe is clear that new approaches to awareness raising and the promotion of online safety are needed to meet these challenges.

The Insafe network has developed a series of partnerships with leading information and communication businesses to ensure the use of the most appropriate technology for raising awareness of internet safety. For example, participation in the 2008 Safer Internet Day was boosted by a new online voting platform and an e-safety toolkit was developed for children and parents. To meet the needs of teachers, this year also saw the launch of a dedicated educational website, TeachToday.eu, by a consortium of 14 leading business partners, including mobile operators and social networking providers.

Beyond business partnerships, the Insafe network also worked with the Council of Europe to update its Internet Literacy Handbook with the inclusion of new sections on web 2.0, social networking and getting assistance online.

Training sessions were developed for members of the Insafe network to build understanding of cutting-edge technologies and how to spread awareness among new generations of online users.

And as the European Union enlarges, encompassing greater diversity of online experience and knowledge, so has Insafe.

2008 saw the establishment of two new awareness centres, one in Bulgaria and the other in Romania, to broaden and deepen the European exchange of best practice in the promotion of internet safety.